Live More [Mikhail, Lilith]

Aha! So these magnificent lands were the Golden Peninsula! Yes, even just from their beauty, Mikhail could certainly see how they had been named thus, since the days of antiquity. In every record of great prestige, all had referred to it thus, but that was not why he had come here. No, rather, he had come because he was aware that these were lands which still sat in disarray after the war several years ago.

It was the duty of a good knight, of course, to travel where help may be needed, but there was additional purpose in his questing. Others who may seek to help the downtrodden would surely come to these lands, and it was those sorts of traveling medicine-men that Mikhail always sought. They, at least, could certainly have the cure for the vile curse which lay upon the princess, would they not?

Alas, yet another search had gone without reward. One of the many hospitals in these lands had given him little reward, but he could not blame them. Who, after all, might travel to distant Nartia without adequate certainty they had answers, and without great recompense?

Still, he could not give up, and so he carried himself into one of countless small stalls dotting the streets, a smile still on his face despite there being no answers of yet.

"Good day! A moo hong and a cold beer, if you would!"

If nothing else, a good meal, and ideally pleasant companions at this little eatery, could at least be found.

After a very brief moment of pause, his head tilting ever so slightly to the side, Mikhail smiled at the fine woman who had given him his meal, nodding before taking a spoonful of the stew. His reaction was nearly immediate, after the initial enjoyment, and he took a swig of the beer before speaking boisterously on the matter.

"Delightful! For having been your first time, I would certainly not think it! I should imagine, kind maiden, that you have spent no small time honing your craft, hm? Even if not with this particular dish."

There was a kind charm to Mikhail's voice as he spoke, an undeniable genuine nature to the words he spoke. There was hardly an ounce of falshehood in a single thing he had said, for such a thing would hardly ever be virtuous.

The physical contact to his back seemed to briefly surprise Mikhail, not that it necessarily seemed to bother him or anything similar. His cheerful demeanor was unshakeable, it seemed, even if caught off guard for a moment now and then.

"Is that so? I should think that there might be more courtesy toward a beauteous woman such as yourself, but there is certainly no shortage of impropriety in this world! Of course, I would only ever think to correct such impropriety, so I will gladly take pride in having brightened your day."

One might have imagined, with such flattery, that his eyes could wander, that some secondary motive would make itself apparent, but who would do such a thing when acting as a virtuous, valorous knight? That was his calling, after all. Sir Mikhail of the Dance would think to do nothing but be proper in his conduct.

"I would never act simply to impress! Such shallow intent would only serve to lack any impressive traits at all. As a knight of standing, it is only natural that I might carry myself in a manner that reflects the good spirit of my princess and my homeland."

Mikhail took a long drink of his beer before returning his attention more fully to his new company, smile still bright. After all, to speak on these matters was his natural calling; it was the desire of any proper knight to bring glory to the crown.

"Perhaps such things are uncommon, but commonality is not the calling of a man of valor such as I. It is my calling to quest on behalf of the Princess Natalya, to find the cure for her eternal sleep, and if I inspire others through my deeds, then that is good fortune and a sign of my virtue."

The question regarding the Princess seemed to dampen some of that light behind Mikhail's eyes, but even so, there was an undeniable cheer to him, his pride in his service apparently far greater than the grief of her situation. After only the briefest moment of hesitation, as if he were processing the situation in his mind, Mikhail spoke again in the same proud tone of voice, but with perhaps more respect now.

"The Princess Natalya is the most respectable young woman in all the land of Nartia, and even beyond. Kind in word and deed, I have watched over her since we were both but youth. Yet, in the great war not long ago, foul demons attacked the heart of Nartia, and in their evil they afflicted the Princess with a curse most vile. She now sleeps unceasingly; I quest for the sake of a cure."

It was the single thing which drove Mikhail to travel the world, to be a knight unceasingly. There was simply nothing else in the world which merited his attentions to the same degree.